ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday that the NBA has come to a decision after an investigation that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey did not commit a crime for allegedly having an intimate relationship with an underage girl.
The Newport Beach police came to the same conclusion a few months prior.
ESPN Sources: Four months after Newport Beach (Calif) police announced a probe had been “unable to corroborate any criminal activity” against Oklahoma City’s Josh Giddey, 21, involving online allegations of an inappropriate relationship with an underage girl, the NBA has closed… pic.twitter.com/IgMRt0cmtb
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 23, 2024
A report surfaced back in December that Giddey’s encounter with the underage girl occurred two years ago at a nightclub in the state of Oklahoma, and the 21-year-old supposedly broke off the relationship with the female the day after he found out that she was under 18 years of age.
The underage girl as well as her family reportedly refused to cooperate with police during their investigation in light of the incident.
“The inquiry into whether Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey had an inappropriate relationship with a minor has hit a roadblock — TMZ Sports has learned the alleged teen and her family are refusing to cooperate with officials,” TMZ reported.
“Law enforcement sources tell us police would obviously like to speak with the purported female and those close to her to gather more information regarding the social media claims that made rounds over the weekend…but as of right now, no one is talking.”
Giddey’s numbers with the Thunder during the 2023-24 regular season suggest that the allegations he faced may have taken a toll on him. In 80 games played with the Thunder, he averaged career lows in points (12.3), assists (4.8) and rebounds (6.4) per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from 3-point range.
For as underwhelming as Giddey’s regular season was, he put up even worse numbers for the Thunder during the team’s stint in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. He averaged just 8.7 points and 2.1 assists per contest across 10 appearances.
In Oklahoma City’s second-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks — which Oklahoma City went on to lose in six games — Giddey reached double digits in points in just one of the six games of the series, as he totaled 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor in Game 5.
Plus, the shooting guard failed to dish out more than two assists in a single game against Dallas. Giddey has a knack for passing the ball, considering he averages 5.7 assists per game for his career and dished out 6.4 per game as a rookie.
While Giddey seemingly won’t be charged with a crime, fans of the Thunder shouldn’t be shocked if the youngster plays for a different team in the upcoming 2024-25 regular season.
